We are attempting to determine the best approach to begin email solicitations.
If you have implemented these. I would be interested in your feedback re:
-The form of solicitation (i.e. ask only, or included with other messages?)
-Level of success
-Did you see a higher unsubscribe rate? How much?
-Do you offer constituents the option to determine types of email messages?
Thank you!
Clint Riley
We have considered email solicitations and decided against them. We had a couple of soft email asks and had very poor results. Keep in mind, emails a read when received and soon forgotten or deleted by the reader. If they are going to resond it has to be upon reading the email, or you are unlikely to get a response. At least that's been our experience.
Cheers,
Chandra Asken
Chandra brings up the very good point of immediacy.
If you are looking to do some testing, Donor Power Blog had an interesting post recently on how premiums (which add the to immediate call to action) can boost online appeals.
http://www.donorpowerblog.com/donor_power_blog/2009/04/do-premiums-work-online.html
This is good feedback. Thank you both!
Clint
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marketing Projects Manager
The Santa Fe Opera
www.santafeopera.org
O: 505.946.2427
F: 505.986.5999
criley@santafeopera.org
P.O. Box 2408 – Santa Fe, NM 87504
From: Tessitura Development Forum [mailto:forums-development@tessituranetwork.com] On Behalf Of Nick Barnett Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 5:23 PM To: Clint Riley Subject: Re: [Tessitura Development Forum] Email Solicitations
From: Chandra Asken <bounce-chandraasken4838@tessituranetwork.com> Sent: 4/24/2009 5:12:29 PM
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When I was at a different institution with a performing arts series several years ago, I started email membership renewals by email in 2000.
Email solicitations were very effective when our concerts were selling well, and our members were planning to renew as a matter of course. As a benefit, members ordered tickets before nonmembers.
I would send out very brief emails about six weeks before scheduled renewal mailings with a message about "saving paper and postage" and get immediate results. I would also send out notices to lapsed members when concert series were announced and get good results. Many members saw this as a convenience.
When a change in programming caused demand for tickets to decrease drastically, so did our renewal rates, and email solicitations became ineffective. Mail renewals also decreased, but not so dramatically.
I did not see a high rate of unsubscribes because of email solicitations, but when the programming lost popular support, people who weren't going to renew anyway took the opportunity of the solicitation to unsubscribe.